WHAT WE KNOW:   On Thursday, August 30, 2007,  T.J. Quinn of the New York Daily News broke the story that the Albany County District Attorney’s Office had supplied the WWE with the names of ten wrestlers (Randy Orton, Charlie Haas, Adam Copeland (aka Edge), Robert Huffman (aka Booker T), Shane Helms, Mike Bucci, Anthony Carelli (aka Santino Marella), John Hennigan (aka John Morrison), Darren Matthews (aka William Regal), Ken Anderson (aka Mr. Kennedy), Eddie Fatu (aka Umaga), Shoichi Funaki, and Chavo Guerrero Jr.)   linked with their investigation of  Signature Pharmacy, a pharmacy under investigation for prescribing drugs to people without a physician’s exam.   The WWE then announced the suspension of ten wrestlers in accordance with the provisions of its Wellness Policy.   However the WWE did not supply the names of the wrestlers suspended, citing another provision of the Wellness Policy.   In addition to the suspensions, the WWE announced the termination of Mike Bucci (aka Simon Dean).   Bucci, a former wrestler has been working as a manager for the WWE’s developmental territory.  

Later that day, a report on Sports Illustrated’s (SI) web site stated that its ongoing investigation of illegal steroid distribution (an investigation which has been conducted by SI reporters Luis Fernando Llosa and   Jon Wertheim ) to professional athletes linked twelve professional wrestlers to the drug network SI has been looking into.   The names mentioned by Sports Illustrated were Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Chavo Guerrero,   Shane Helms, John Hennigan (aka John Morrison), Ken Anderson (aka Mr. Kennedy), Shoichi Funaki, Brian Adams (aka Crush), Charlie Haas, Edward Fatu (aka Umaga), Adam Copeland, and Sylvain Grenier.    The SI report indicated that the wrestlers were provided at various times with steroids and/or human growth hormone (HGH) at various times.

WHAT WE DON’T KNOW: There is still a lot of information that needs to be provided in order to fill in the blanks left by Thursday’s reports which means there is rampant speculation concerning this whole affair.   So far, no one knows for sure which WWE superstars have been suspended so far.    However very few people would likely be surprised if the list of names provided by the Albany County District Attorney’s Office didn’t match the list of wrestlers suspended.  

A far more important question that needs to be asked is whether or not the WWE knew of the alleged drug use by the superstars listed before the Albany County D.A. supplied it to the WWE.   What (if any) knowledge WWE management had will play a pivotal role in how this entire affair turns out.

THE IMPACT ON THE WWE

 
SHORT TERM: Nearly every name listed in the stories by the NY Daily News and Sports Illustrated are those of major stars in the WWE with several recent world champions amongst them.   Most of those mentioned are involved in major programs in the WWE including several PPV level programs.   With the WWE’s recent switch back to outright suspensions (as opposed to unpaid suspensions where wrestlers still performed on TV and PPV), this news couldn’t have come at a worse time.   If the suspended wrestlers turn out to be the ones suspected by many observers of the WWE, expect serious shakeups as the WWE scrambles to find new players to fill the roles of wrestlers serving suspensions under the Wellness Program’s disciplinary rules.   

With Congress’ recent request for information on the Wellness Policy, the WWE seems to be taking the Wellness Policy very seriously.   It also seems to be adopting a zero tolerance for any sort of problems given the recent news that the WWE had released a mid-card tag team after a backstage altercation as well as a WWE superstar who served a previous suspension for his violation of the Wellness Policy.   It seems clear that anyone working for the WWE needs to be walking on eggshells if they want to keep their job.

Given the current state of chaos in the WWE, no one should be surprised if the WWE goes on auto-pilot (much as it did following the events of the Benoit murder/suicide) as upper management deals with the fallout from this story.   While fans will probably see some new faces on TV, expect the WWE to keep everything as is with the exception of any champions who were on the aforementioned lists.

LONG TERM: Naturally, the WWE is going to be under more scrutiny than ever from the media and the U.S. government.   The real question will be whether or not the WWE can show Congress (as well as state governments) that it is capable of policing itself.   In light of the revelations that many of its top wrestlers obtained steroids and/or HGH, it’s hard to imagine the WWE not making any changes to the Wellness Policy (with one of the likeliest changes being an added number of random tests to WWE superstars throughout the year).

As mentioned earlier, the big question is just how much (if anything) WWE management knew about steroid and HGH usage by the superstars allegedly linked to illegal drug networks.   While I am not making the accusation that the WWE knew about the steroid and HGH usage, if it turns out that some WWE officials knew about it and condoned it, the company could face criminal sanctions, harsh regulation, and civil suits from law firms eager to pounce on a vulnerable corporation with deep pockets.   If the WWE’s Wellness Policy turns out to have been an elaborate smokescreen, the company will be in serious shape.

Looking at the size and physiques of many WWE superstars, it seems incredulous that the WWE didn’t know about steroid and/or HGH use amongst some of its stars.   There have been rumors for years that wrestlers in the WWE have been given subtle hints that a certain look is expected of its stars and that pushes come with wrestlers who meet the WWE ideal.   Through the years, there has also been comments by observers of the WWE of the difference in physiques for wrestlers before they entered the WWE and when they started working for the company.  

THE IMPACT ON THE INDUSTRY

 
For decades, professional wrestling has struggled with its mainstream image.   As the public became aware of the worked nature of professional wrestling/sports entertainment, the nature of the negative publicity surrounding the sport shifted from that of it being “fake” to concerns over the edgy nature of the WWF during the Attitude Era and more recently, to the perception that a large number of wrestlers have died at a very young age.  

The Chris Benoit murder/suicide affair really propelled wrestling’s problems into the mainstream.   While mainstream reporters such as Phil Mushnick have been proclaiming the industry’s seedier side for years, much of the mainstream media ignored wrestling.   This latest scandal will undoubtedly amplify the very public discussion of professional wrestling’s dark underbelly.   It’s likely that there will be another public backlash against wrestling, just as some observers noted after the Benoit affair.   If so, the industry could see the loss of not only fans but advertisers (many of whom are already reluctant to advertise on wrestling shows).  

While the WWE is usually mentioned during discussions of the steroid/HGH scandal, it’s unwise to exclude any professional wrestling promotion whether it’s Ring of Honor, Total Nonstop Action (TNA), or anyone else doing business within the squared circle.   TNA has already received requests for information from Congress and while smaller promotions may avoid the scrutiny of Congress, it’s likely that state and local governments will cast an eye at smaller promotions in their jurisdiction.  

When the WWE sought to free itself of the regulations imposed on it due to its status as a sport (which lead to Vince McMahon’s declaration that the WWF was “sports entertainment”), it was done primarily to relieve itself of the costs involved with government regulation.   Depending on the amount of regulations, the costs could be prohibitive to smaller promotions currently operating without intense government scrutiny.   If so, these promotions will have to deal with the added cost of doing business in a heavily regulated industry.

THE IMPACT ON WRESTLING FANS

 
Barring the unlikely outcome of the WWE emerging unscathed from its current steroid/HGH woes, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that the industry will have to reexamine its “big man” mentality.   Led by the explosive success of Hulk Hogan and the Road Warriors, a majority of promoters relied on a formula of large muscular wrestlers to achieve success.   Whether a promotion based itself on flashy entertainment (the WWF) or traditional wrestling (WCW), a wrestler’s appearance became an important factor in their success.  

The look of wrestlers will change radically if steroids and other performance enhancing substances are eliminated from the training regimens of wrestlers.   While it is possible to achieve impressive looking physiques without resorting to performance enhancers, it’s by no means assured with factors such as a wrestler’s schedule and his or her age playing important parts in the equation.  

For decades, many fans have come to expect a certain look for its wrestlers.   The same is true for some promoters.   While some fans will be grateful to see dangerous substances such as steroids and HGH removed from the industry, some will no doubt tune out.   How many will tune out is impossible to say and this is one of the wild cards perplexing promoters right now.

While there is a noticeable downside to the whole steroid/HGH scandal, there are some good things that could arise from this whole affair.   The foremost is the general improvement in the health of wrestlers (assuming that the use of steroids and HGH is drastically reduced or even eliminated).   While some wrestlers have already harmed their bodies with harmful performance enhancers, those who curb their use should see major improvements in their long-term health.  

The elimination of steroids and HGH will undoubtedly help wrestling improve its image as well.   Wrestling is one of many sports plagued by the specter of illegal performance enhancing substances.   The elimination of these substances can only be seen as a positive for wrestling’s current image as a glorified freak show.  

Finally, the elimination of the big man mentality could be benefit the industry as a whole as professional wrestling would likely have to focus more on the in-ring product as compared to coasting by on pushing larger than life performers.  A focus on the fundamentals of wrestling could be what’s necessary for the industry to see itself bounce back from the gradual decline it’s been experiencing since the end of the Monday Night War.